Why the Body Shuts Down During Trauma

The Body's Life Saving Response to Trauma with Stephen Porges

When a client experiences trauma, there are often lingering feelings of shame - especially if instead of fighting back, the body froze.

But according to Stephen Porges, PhD, the body's response to trauma might have actually saved the client's life.

By learning how and why their body responded the way it did, many clients are able to gain a new perspective on their traumatic experience and start to foster a new path to healing.

NICABM - Better Outcomes. More Quickly.

[gfcg]

I think I've been stuck in freeze response most of my life - I am now 62 years old and still reliving the effects of horrific childhood trauma from the ones who were my 'parents'. I was psychologically, physically, sexually abused - totally neglected in every in every way. Everything I 'liked' and 'felt' was totally trashed right from the beginning of my life - I am a 'shell' of a person. I have absolutely no friends. (people steer clear of traumatised people?!) The realisation of it all is too much to bear. I feel like my body is shutting down!

[philipholding]

In my therapy sessions, I never used the word ' freeze' in this context, as I thought it was misleading. But, I explained about dissociation, tonic immobility and shut down, and my patients were relieved that they had no conscious control when they were assaulted. Their physiology just took over.

[QuintessentialKeygirl]

I'm thinking this can happen emotionally too? As self protection ....

[AbianahTheGemini]

When I was 4 I just didn’t speak and had my head down when being abused. when my cousins and sister abused me I just layed there. When my physically abusive and sexually abusive cousin was hurting me I just pretended to be asleep.I was raped by three different men when I was 19 I completely shut down. Any time someone touches me I just look at the floor or away from them. I hate physical touch it literally makes my stomach drop especially if it’s out of the blue and on a part of my body that’s exposed.

[Meadowwing]

I don't quite fully grasp this info, as this has been the first time the 'body freeze term" (which I have used over and over with therapist past 2 years!!) Has been acknowledged as you have done here...thank you so very much ... I'm extremely grateful as I thought it was cowardice holding me back... I have extremely powerful forces that are continuing to hurt me. I intend to win the battle... the possibility of losing my life is a at least 50/50... But if that happens at least I will leave this world knowing I tried. Thank you for helping me to understand that I am not a coward

[melt]

Dr, thankyou for all your amazing work in this field, I want to read your book. I remember being held against my will by a man in a toilet cubicle when I was about 7. I didn’t scream and I always wondered why. He then suddenly let me go. This is going off the topic at hand at bit now, but I can’t remember the beginning of what happened - how i came to be in the cubicle with him. I assume that that my body and mind went into complete shock, and that’s why I can’t remember. Also, I’ve surprisingly never been triggered by toilet cubicles, but from that point on, I always felt triggered, nauseous and turned off by the type of benches in public bathrooms (it was a squash court, my dad was playing). It was terrible at school every gym day, as there were identical benches. Even to this day, I can’t tolerate looking at horizontal style benches with gaps in them, and would never consider outdoor furniture of any wood. (I have no problem with indoor wooden furniture). I hate to think this, but do you think I may have been assaulted on the bench, before being dragged into the cubicle? All I recall is being held against my will, completely frozen. He was behind me, with his arms around my body. Please help me understand what happened, or what might have happened. I’m 48 now. Also, when I first gave birth, I went into psychosis for four days, which was very distressing. I thought the nurses were hurting my Twin’s, taking them out of the hospital and bringing them back in. Of course that wasn’t true. I was diagnosed with post partum bipolar disorder. I was told that this can happen to survivors of sexual abuse, particularly child victims. Please note it was my only episode of psychosis.

[chinookvalley]

I went to the local law enforcement to make a report. They said, it was my fault for not fighting back. This caused me to feel like I was being attacked again. Why on earth aren't all law enforcement employees TRAINED to handle these situations????!!! COMPLEX PTSD.

[candaceion]

I don't cry, feel anger or much of anything. I always just feel flat. I have been diagnosed with CPTSD, PTSD, medication resistant depression and Chronic Anxiety. O am 53 and have been in therapy inpatient and outpatient. Long, long history of sexual, verbal, emotional abuse. Any advice? 2 years ago I started having what I now know as "body memories". After months of this, I finally went to the hospital. Was released by a psychiatrist, that told me that "we all have urges and perhaps I needed a boyfriend." None of them knew what was going on with me. Nobody in the mental health floor, crisis unit etc. I left there feeling more alone and more disgusted with myself. Beyond frustrated of not getting any help. I am ready to give up. That was 2 years ago. They have stopped, but I still struggle daily to keep going, but will never go back to a psych ward :(

[NakedSnake]

Thank you Dr Stephen this is quite an empowering view to reframe past traumatic events

[bdbotbu]

How do you return to normal after 10 years of what I’ve called “sleeping.” After so many years, the practical aspects of life, like finances and social health, are destroyed.

[macareuxmoine]

Very very good change of perspective… thank you. Ahhh, there’s so much to learn, even if in a dire situation, there’s light at the end of the tunnel 🙏🥰

[animalcol]

This helped enormously.

Thank you 🙏💛

[theoriginalbuggins]

I see a lot of misunderstanding about the term "Freeze", where it's understood not as "Shut-down and dissociate" but "What was that? Keep still and pay attention." The difference is that "What was that?" is a low-investment first response in case escalation to flight or fight is needed, whereas "Shut-down" is an all-in, escalated all the way last resort.

[nancywysemen]

interesting. i freeze when a car turns into me when i'm crossing the

[PasqualeRaso]

The body keeps its self shut off under extreme trauma to protect itself so that's what occured when the Universe first morphed developing its form still yet to complete its initial phase inside its cocoon to become Superfly to enter into a perpetual paradise finding its Soulmate having exotic qualities as such!

[djarmin]

It's like when you drink to much and the brain shuts down and can't remember

[SovereignStatesman]

It might shut down to save their life, but if the person is traumatized then it can happen in non-life threatening situations, or where running etc. would work better. One boy was very big and strong, like olympic strength; but he was constantly bullied by other kids because his father abused him as a child, due to feeling threatened by his strength. and so the boy couldn't fight back due to fear and trauma, and so he avoided school, and got Gaslit and punished for THAT. This is the travesty that affects trauma-victims.

[ramah]

Above all his tone and comforting worss do more good than two years of therapy ( andI mean good therapy if your lucky enough to find it ) When he said he almost cried reading her letter! wow you wont find that kind of help, that kind of empathy is highly discoursged and is not considered ethical in this field. thats why I didnt go into it because if I couldnt direct my passion to help people I would not last long.

[michaelstiller]

Lady close the drape behind you. Or pull the shade . We don’t need to see the street and traffic. Really distracts from you message.